Paint dabblers at Eurosatory

There was a bit of excitement at lunch time today at the Eurosatory trade show in Paris when around 50 militants from a group calling itself the “Désobéissants” (the disobedients) managed to dabble a Leclerc main battle tank with red, yellow, blue and green paint before moving onto a troop transporter which they spotted with red paint before being stopped by police. According to their website 12 of the militants were arrested.

The paint-dabbled Leclerc. (photo credit: Brigitte Battin)

They said they wanted to protest against the arms trade which they claim “feeds off the many conflicts in which France is now engaged.”

One of the militants breaking a plastic bottle of red paint over the troop transporter. (photo credit: Brigitte Battin)

Like so many pacifists they are well-meaning but live in cloud cuckoo land. They haven’t understood that yes, selling weapons is a business, but that many of the technologies developed for the military are not only used to protect them and their way of life but also become products that they use daily. The GPS they may have used to get to the show is a perfect example.

They probably were also unaware that 40% of the show is also dedicated to security: the firemen and other first responders who would be first on the scene of an accident or disaster to save them.

Military personnel talking the militant off the roof of the vehicle before he was arrested by police. (photo credit: Brigitte Battin)